This winter has felt like a proper winter. With twenty-six days of rain across January and February, vineyard work has slowed down. But this period of “inactivity” has given us something valuable – more time to think and plan with greater care.
Welcome back. And if you ask how things are going here at Poggio Antico, I’d say: slowly. But that’s not a bad thing. So far, the year has taken its time with a certain determination – we’re about a month behind on all vineyard work compared to usual, but we haven’t stood still. Travel and trade fairs have picked up again, and the quiet hum of Poggio Antico continues as always – wines are being tasted in the cellar as they age, pruning carries on in the vineyard – and yet there’s a sense of pause running through everything, as we wait for spring.
It doesn’t worry me – this can happen in winter: shorter days, a slower pace, nature slipping into dormancy. But this year it has felt more pronounced than usual. And perhaps that’s exactly what we needed, because slowing down gives you the space to think clearly, without the urgency that so often defines everyday work. When you have time, you can reflect on who you are, what you do, and how to do it better.
It’s in this spirit that the Palio Edition Project came to life – a special label celebrating the victory of Anda e Bola in the most recent Palio di Siena. Last summer, on August 16, Anda e Bola – owned by Marcel van Poecke, proprietor of Poggio Antico, together with Harry Westerman – won the Palio. We welcomed him here in September, and we chose to mark that moment with the Brunello di Montalcino 2021 Palio Edition, a limited release (available from this month to Wine Club members and visitors to the estate), featuring a commemorative label dedicated to the Palio and to Anda e Bola.
We did this because making wine here also means telling the story of a place – its traditions and its living, passionate history.
Together with Scuderia Milani – where Anda e Bola lives and trains – we have also created an experience for those who want to step into this world: a full day including a visit to the stables, time to discover their work, lunch together, and then a tour and tasting at Poggio Antico.
This project reflects what I mean when I talk about doing things with intention, about choosing carefully where to place our energy. Because in this moment – and, as readers may have sensed over these past months – I’ve been thinking a great deal about what truly matters, both for us and for wine more broadly.
Wine has always been part of what it means to be human. That gives me confidence: at a time when the identity of wine is clearly shifting, we need to step back and reflect more deeply on how we approach our work.
This is a moment for identity. We need to express it as clearly as possible, continuing to believe in our land and in our wines. We can’t reshape who we are just because the market follows new trends – we simply need to remain true to ourselves.
More and more, I’m convinced that the future lies in simplicity: knowing who we are and what matters to us allows us to do everything at our best.
Our work is to make wine in this part of Montalcino we feel deeply connected to. It’s simple – almost obvious, if you like – but in the end, that’s what we do. And that’s what we want to keep sharing with those who choose to follow our path: the everyday, the small and the big decisions, our work.
See you soon,
Pippo